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          The fashion industry is a $2.5 trillion global industry that thrives on consumers' wants and needs for apparel and accessories. Aside from the practicality of fashion, fashion impacts how individuals express themselves based on personal style and current trends. However, fashion also has a negative impact on the environment. As Earth faces harmful effects of pollution, waste, and greenhouse gases, it is essential to realize how fashion plays a part in that. The production and consumption of fashion have led to excessive waste, excessive use of water, and pollution in the atmosphere, landfills, and Earth's oceans. The fashion industry is the third-largest polluter in the world. (Howell, 2021) Understanding these harmful effects and why they occur can give insight on how to stop them so that the fashion industry can work towards a more sustainable future. 

           This position paper uses facts and scientific research to address the impacts of fashion on the environment.    (Organization name) believes that the fashion industry is a large contributor to harmful environmental impacts. Our goal is to raise awareness of these effects so that consumers and retailers can make informed, sustainable decisions regarding fashion.

Fast Fashion and Overconsumption 

           Over the past 20 years, the fashion industry has evolved from a slow fashion business model to a fast fashion business model that forces retailers to cut costs. Retailers have to produce more products at a cheaper price to stay on top of trends and maintain profitability in an increasingly competitive market. (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010) In turn, major retailers release more collections than ever before at a lower, more affordable price. (Šajn, 2019) This is the fast-fashion model. Fast fashion is cheap, rapidly produced garments created by mass-market retailers. While fast fashion makes staying on top of trends more accessible, it promotes overconsumption, which leads to waste that pollutes the environment. 

           Data shows that textile production has doubled in the last 15 years, and people are buying more, too. In 2014, people bought 60 percent more garments than they did in 2000. (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017) While consumers are buying more, they're also wearing less. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2017), "The average number of times a garment is worn before it ceases to be used – has decreased by 36% compared to 15 years ago." (Summary of Findings section, para. 4) While there is no harm in having a large variety of clothes, the harm lies within where these clothes go when they are no longer of use to an individual. Because fast fashion is so cheap and focuses on trends that cycle in and out, it's changed the way consumers dispose of clothing. (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010) Each individual in America disposes of about 80 pounds of textiles every year, and 85 percent of fabrics go into American landfills each year. (Bick, Halsey & Ekenga, 2018) Fast fashion promotes overconsumption of clothing, which leads to an excess of waste.  

Carbon Emissions 

           The fashion industry produces nearly 20 percent of the world's wastewater. (UNECE, 2018) Materials such as polyester, a synthetic fabric made from oil, are washed and treated during textile production. Wastewater full of the chemicals used in polyester are released into local water systems. (Khan & Malik, 2018) The resulted wastewater is responsible for an estimated 10 percent of the world's carbon emissions. (Davis, 2020) In addition to the effect of wastewater, the production of polyester and synthetic materials made for clothing emits carbon. Production of polyester releases about 706 billion kg of CO2e in a year. (Kirchain, Olivetti, Reed Miller, & Greene) 

           Carbon emissions caused by the fashion industry are a sometimes-unseen consequence of production. If nothing changes, the industry's global output is expected to increase by 49 percent. (Quantis, 2018) People need to be aware of the impact fashion has regarding carbon emissions to make more informed, conscious decisions when consuming fashion. In turn, this could change the trajectory of where the fashion industry is headed.

Micro-plastics 

           Fashion harms the environment for reasons previously mentioned, but microplastics are the most impactful. Textiles and fabrics such as nylon, polyester, and acrylic are used to create much of the fashion that is sold today. These fabrics are produced with microplastics that end up in the ocean or in landfills which later break down into thousands of microfibers. (Plastic Soup Foundation, 2017) Research by Browne (2017) concluded that 85 percent of artificial materials found on the shoreline were microfibers originating from nylon and acrylic fabrics used to create clothing. Microplastics are polluting the oceans at such a rapid rate (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017), and they have already established themselves within aquatic ecosystems. (Teuten, Rowland, Galloway, &Thompson, 2007) Because the pollutants are so microscopic, they cannot be removed from the ecosystem. (Plastic Soup Foundation, 2017) Once broken down, microplastics are ingested into fish and other aquatic organisms, which in turn find their way into the human food chain. (Rochman, 2015)

Opposing Opinions 

           Fashion's impact on the environment is great, but some may argue that the benefits outweigh the costs. For instance, it could be argued that fast fashion is beneficial because it makes following the latest trends and expanding your closet more accessible. It's inexpensive, and there's so much to choose from. While this is true, the cost of fast fashion is much more than what meets the eye. It's more than just a monetary value– it comes at the expense of the environment. As mentioned before, fast fashion promotes overconsumption and waste. It is mass-produced and quickly disposed of by consumers. Luckily, there are alternatives to fast fashion. Consumers can buy good quality clothes secondhand at thrift stores, vintage shops, consignment stores, and even online through social e-commerce marketplaces like DePop, Poshmark, and eBay. Shopping through these channels is still inexpensive, but it doesn't have as large of an environmental footprint as fast fashion. 

           There are alternatives for fast fashion, but it could be argued that there are not genuinely sustainable fabric alternatives to polyester, nylon, and cotton. There are some sustainable alternatives such as bamboo, hemp, or recycled cotton. However, these materials have limitations as to how they can be used and dyed, and there is a limited supply of them. (Burns, Lee & Chae, 2021) 

            This is where fabrics such as TENCEL come into play. TENCEL, which is extracted from wood pulp, is a more sustainable alternative to cotton and rayon. (Burns, 2021) Its fibers are compostable and biodegradable, and it has a lower carbon footprint than other materials. However, the source of the fabric is wood pulp, and the extraction of the wood pulp used in the fabric still emits extensive amounts of carbon. So, while there are some sustainable fabrics, it is fair to say that matched alternatives to rayon and cotton are not 100 percent sustainable either. 

           Lastly, it can be argued that if the U.S. isn't the country producing all of the textiles, why should we take accountability for the impacts fashion has on the environment? Although America is not responsible for most of the clothing production, we are the second-largest textile importing country in the world. (Statista Research Department, 2021) The U.S. still contributes to the negative impacts by consuming much of the textiles. Being aware of the environmental impacts that fashion and textiles have on the environment could move consumers to shop consciously, forcing the market and sellers to follow suit. 

           All in all, fashion has negative effects on the environment. While these impacts may be less obvious than impacts of plastic bottles or car fumes, they are just as important. The fashion industry is responsible for excess waste, carbon emissions, and microplastics, and consumers must be aware of the consequences fashion has on the environment. By being informed, consumers can make a conscious decision when purchasing fashion. Hopefully, by raising awareness and promoting conscious shopping, consumers can change how the fashion industry works to create a more sustainable future.